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Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) will on Wednesday examine the controversial note of Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee to the PMO elaborating the lapses on part of his predecessor P Chidambaram in the 2G spectrum allocation. Finance Secretary RS Gujral and Economic Affairs Secretary R Gopalan will depose before the JPC on the issue which rocked the UPA Government in September, last year.
And on its part, the two-day long Public Accounts Committee meeting, which starts on Wednesday, will deliberate on the controversial CAG report on Air India’s irregularities in the fleet purchase.
The Finance Ministry officials were re-summoned by the JPC after the surfacing of the 13-page note (Office Memorandum), dated March 25, last year. This controversial note was not given to the JPC by the Finance Ministry. When the controversy broke out, JPC demanded an affidavit from each department stating that they had submitted all documents before the panel.
Last week, the Finance Ministry had certified this note in the case filed by Janata party president Subramanian Swamy against Home Minister Chidambaram. The 2G Special Court had accepted this document, which was also certified by PMO.
The controversial note details the lapses from Chidambaram’s side as a Finance Minister and also enumerates the caution advised by top Finance Ministry officials on Raja’s design to allot spectrum and licences without auction.
On Thursday, former Telecom Secretary JS Sarma will depose before the JPC. Sarma, currently the Chairman of Telecom Regulatory Authority of India was Telecom Secretary during 2005-06. Sarma is a witness in the CBI chargesheet filed against jailed former Telecom Minister A Raja. His name is also figured in the FIR filed against Raja’s predecessor Dayanidhi Maran.
Top officials of the Civil Aviation Ministry will face some tough questions from PAC on the CAG report which had come hard on the ministry over the decision to acquire 111 planes for Air India through debt.
The CAG had described the merger of Air India and Indian Airlines as “ill-timed” and said the exercise was undertaken “strangely from the top (rather than by the perceived needs of both these airlines), with inadequate validation of the financial benefits”.
Terming the move for acquiring a “large number” of planes as “risky”, the CAG said the aircraft acquisition had “contributed predominantly” to the airline’s massive debt liability of Rs 38,423 crore as on March 31 last year.
And on its part, the two-day long Public Accounts Committee meeting, which starts on Wednesday, will deliberate on the controversial CAG report on Air India’s irregularities in the fleet purchase.
The Finance Ministry officials were re-summoned by the JPC after the surfacing of the 13-page note (Office Memorandum), dated March 25, last year. This controversial note was not given to the JPC by the Finance Ministry. When the controversy broke out, JPC demanded an affidavit from each department stating that they had submitted all documents before the panel.
Last week, the Finance Ministry had certified this note in the case filed by Janata party president Subramanian Swamy against Home Minister Chidambaram. The 2G Special Court had accepted this document, which was also certified by PMO.
The controversial note details the lapses from Chidambaram’s side as a Finance Minister and also enumerates the caution advised by top Finance Ministry officials on Raja’s design to allot spectrum and licences without auction.
On Thursday, former Telecom Secretary JS Sarma will depose before the JPC. Sarma, currently the Chairman of Telecom Regulatory Authority of India was Telecom Secretary during 2005-06. Sarma is a witness in the CBI chargesheet filed against jailed former Telecom Minister A Raja. His name is also figured in the FIR filed against Raja’s predecessor Dayanidhi Maran.
Top officials of the Civil Aviation Ministry will face some tough questions from PAC on the CAG report which had come hard on the ministry over the decision to acquire 111 planes for Air India through debt.
The CAG had described the merger of Air India and Indian Airlines as “ill-timed” and said the exercise was undertaken “strangely from the top (rather than by the perceived needs of both these airlines), with inadequate validation of the financial benefits”.
Terming the move for acquiring a “large number” of planes as “risky”, the CAG said the aircraft acquisition had “contributed predominantly” to the airline’s massive debt liability of Rs 38,423 crore as on March 31 last year.
